He said he wanted reports from institutions on how boys responded to the verdicts and whether they had any appreciation or concern for what they had done.

'Job well done'

The teenagers were accused of helping and encouraging each other in savage street assaults on Mr Tunney and Mr Kirk at about 2am on June 27 last year.

The Crown said they were called into a “trap”, surrounded, swarmed over, overwhelmed and ferociously attacked as they backed away.

The gang launched a seven-against-two attack to “teach them a lesson” after they objected to being showered with waste food thrown from a shop roof, it was said.

The alley visited by jurors in the Shane Tunney murder trial

Youths had been throwing food from the Tesco Express on High Street, where Mr Tunney was using a cashpoint machine, before the violence erupted.

The court heard Mr Tunney and Mr Kirk walked away towards Stockton to buy food, but were beckoned around a corner and encircled by yobs.

Prosecutor Andrew Stubbs QC said both men were knocked to the floor in seconds, in an onslaught driven by “the power of the pack”.

'Bouncing like boxers'

Mr Kirk was hit to the head with a pole, punched in the face, kicked, “beaten to submission” and robbed of Mr Tunney’s phone.

He said Mr Tunney was punched to the floor, chased and hounded as he “ran for his life”, kicked “like they were kicking footballs at a goal”.

One youth stamped on his head and walked away “like it was a job well done”, jurors were told.

Mr Tunney was left unconscious in the road. He suffered a severe head injury with brain swelling and bleeding, fell into a coma and died in hospital weeks later on July 29.

After the violence, it was alleged members of the group were “hyper” and bragged about it, “high-fiving”, bouncing like boxers, re-enacting it, blaming Mr Tunney and saying it was “one for all, all for one”.

Two of the seven teenagers gave evidence in the trial.

Brandon Pitt and the 17-year-old boy denied taking part in an attack on Shane Tunney or intending anyone serious injury.